What’s So Special About the Auto Fabrica Type 11?

Based in London, Auto Fabrica is famous for their custom bikes. Type 11 by Autofabrica is a project that pushes the design and craftmanship boundaries to a whole new level.

Founded by two bothers, Bujar and Gazmend Muharremi in 2013 Autofabrica is well known for their handbuilt bespoke motorcycles. Based in Southend-on-Sea near London, from designing, prototyping and manufacturing happen all under one roof.  The brothers started their quest back in 2011, where they began as a plan to custom-build motorcycles. Their focus was on bikes that were either unavailable or did not exist. Since then, they have designed and developed various unique motorcycles with a high level of craftsmanship and details.

Type 11 Development

The Type eleven line is one of my favourites from Autofabrica because of the unique design quirks found all over them. This bike pushes the boundaries of concept designing and craftsmanship to a whole new level.  Type 11 has three sub-variants two of them based on the Yamaha 900 triple (XSR900) and the other one based on the classic Yamaha 700 triple (XS750).

 Type 11 Prototype One

As the name suggests, this is the very first type 11 prototype.  During the earlier stages of the prototyping phase, Type 11’s styling adopts features that we have never seen before. This includes both the automotive industry and the motorcycle racing world. The prototype one constantly evolved through the designing and developing phase. The use and practice of industrial designing, rapid prototyping and machining during the development can be seen clearly on the final product. On top of this, both digital and physical mocks up have pushed the boundary of designing while excelling the craftmanship and advancement in technology.

The aluminium tank and fairings which forms a single unit is one of the quirks that has been a unique character of the whole type 11 line up. The front fairing impossible wraps the tank while being able to provide space for the rider to sit.

Aside from the tank, the tail section of the bike is also very unique. The tail lamp protrudes out from the carbon seat, which gives it a very modern aesthetic.

The bike weighs only 200kg, and the Yamaha 900 triple engine makes 115hp. The ECU and engine are specifically tweaked for track use besides the other race-ready functions.

The prototype one features instant fueling system and lightweight carbon fibre racing seats. The bike has many Nylon and carbon fibre 3D printed lightweight components all over. With the addition of other performance parts of various other leading performance parts manufacturers, the prototype one stands as the more raw and track-focused bike.

Type 11 Prototype Two

The roadgoing version of Type 11 prototype is the Type 11 prototype two. The Type 11 prototype two has been the larger picture of Autofabrica and the Type 11 lineup. The bike incorporates features and design changes to fulfil the road requirements.

 

The signature classic circular headlamp is an addition with this model to give a more going styling. From the careful selection of materials to colours, the final goal was to come up with a unique, beautiful roadgoing machine. The road-going version is built to order. Each unit is custom made according to the client’s specification and requirements.

Type 11 Prototype Three

The development of this prototype started after the other two. Seeing the other two models develop, Yamaha gave Autofabrica one of the classic XS750 sitting in their studio in Japan.  Though the development of this started later, it was instrumental to the evolution of both and the project as a whole. In order to make the bike different from the other two, this version followed a more organic and subtle design.

On this bike, the unique asymmetrical tank fits around the engine. As for the front fairings, the fork is precisely engineered to give enough clearance where the headlamp sits a few millimetres above the front tire. With other subtle classic features, the addition of hand-bent exhaust pipes gives it a more traditional feel to suit the character of the donor bike.

Read more about what happened when Auto Fabrica rolled out the Type-11 line back in 2018 here.